Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III in Alexandria, Virginia, handed down the sentence against Sims, 36, who was charged by federal prosecutors in August. As part of Sims’ sentence, Ellis has ordered him to write an article for publication about his crime in an “effort to achieve general deterrence,” according to a statement by the U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria.

Sims’ lawyers, Judith Wheat of Washington, D.C.’s Griffith & Wheat and Arlington, Virginia-based solo practitioner Donna Murphy, did not immediately return a request for comment about their client’s sentencing. The charges against Sims stemmed from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat a growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The government’s case against Sims stemmed from online discussions he had over the past year with an undercover federal agent known only to him as “socrdad,” according to court papers. The exchanges between the two saw Sims provide the agent with videos showing graphic depictions of sexual abuse with children, including a 4-year-old girl.

Sims was hired by Paul Weiss in November 2011, but stopped working at the firm’s office in Washington, D.C., earlier this year after he was required to notify his employer of preliminary charges filed against him in June. Sims was then put on home detention.

Wheat and Murphy called Sims in court papers a “young father who recently experienced the bittersweet joy of holding his newborn son for the first time and then handing him off as he self-surrendered to begin serving a minimum five-year prison term.”

Both lawyers said that Sims himself was the victim of “severe and debilitating” childhood abuse that causes him to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. His lawyers said that during a period of months last year, Sims struggled with untreated depression and alcohol abuse while his wife—the bedrock of his support system—worked 16-hour days. During this time Sims engaged in “intentional and unlawful conduct” that victimized other children, according to his sentencing memorandum.

“While incarcerated he has read their statements and with visible emotion he has struggled to make sense of the reasons he chose to act as he did,” wrote Wheat and Murphy. “This has not been an easy process for Mr. Sims and the effect of his choices on everyone—his wife, his son, the children in the videos—weighs heavily on him.”

Sims’ lawyers noted that their client had no inappropriate contact with any real child—and turned down repeated invitations by the undercover federal agent to do so—and had accepted responsibility for his actions in urging Ellis to give Sims the minimum 60-month prison sentence.

The two lawyers also cited Sims’ lack of any previous criminal record, his history of doing pro bono work and the recommendations of a certified sex offender treatment therapist and a forensic psychiatrist calling him an extremely low-risk candidate to commit any future offenses against children.

Laura Fong and Kellen Dwyer, former associates at Jenner & Block and Kirkland & Ellis, respectively, were the assistant U.S. attorneys that prosecuted the government’s case against Sims. In court papers, the Justice Department sought the maximum sentence of between 97 to 121 months in prison for Sims, noting that several victims have made restitution claims through counsel. Statements filed by several victims are under seal.

In addition to his five-year prison sentence, Sims will be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to computer monitoring.

This content has been archived. It is available exclusively through our partner LexisNexis®.

LexisNexis® is now the exclusive third party online distributor of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® customers will be able to access and use ALM's content by subscribing to the LexisNexis® services via Lexis Advance®. This includes content from the National Law Journal®, The American Lawyer®, Law Technology News®, The New York Law Journal® and Corporate Counsel®, as well as ALM's other newspapers, directories, legal treatises, published and unpublished court opinions, and other sources of legal information.

ALM's content plays a significant role in your work and research, and now through this alliance LexisNexis® will bring you access to an even more comprehensive collection of legal content.

Premium Subscription

With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas.

Team Accounts

Our Team Account subscription service are for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.

Bundle Subscriptions

Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both option are priced the same.

From Data to Decisions

Exclusive Depth and Reach.

Legal Compass includes access to our exclusive industry reports, combining the unmatched expertise of our analyst team with ALM’s deep bench of proprietary information to provide insights that can’t be found anywhere else.

Big Pictures and Fine Details

Legal Compass delivers you the full scope of information, from the rankings of the Am Law 200 and NLJ 500 to intricate details and comparisons of firms’ financials, staffing, clients, news and events.

FISHER POTTER HODAS

ALM Legal Publication Newsletters

Sign Up Today and Never Miss Another Story.

As part of your digital membership, you can sign up for an unlimited number of a wide range of complimentary newsletters.
Visit your My Account page to make your selections. Get the timely legal news and critical analysis you cannot afford to miss.
Tailored just for you. In your inbox. Every day.